- Title
- Bottle
- Date Made
- circa 1725-1775
- Medium
- Clear glass mold-blown with enamel and gilding
- Dimensions
- 5 3/8 x 2 9/16 x 2 1/2 in. (13.65 x 6.51 x 6.35 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.88.129.198
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
Part of a set of (at least) six bottles with matching and individualized decoration of polychrome enamel and gilding (M.88.129.198-.203), the clear glass mold-blown square vessels are joined diagonally at the corners with their seams concealed beneath gilding. Each has a cylindrical neck with a flared mouth. Their unified decorative program consists of figural compositions on opposing sides. Paired and single women are most common, with single men and couples occasionally shown. The present vessel features an elegant woman standing on one leg while grasping a tree branch above her. A gazelle is beside her. On the opposite side, a nobleman is seated in a tall-backed chair. He holds his finger near his mouth in a gesture of amazement. Children are sometimes represented, including a young boy (M.88.129.200) and an adolescent shepherd boy (M.88.129.202). Various animals are also portrayed. The opposing sides of each bottle are embellished with diverse flowering plants with large open blossoms. Each figural or floral study is set against a background of indeterminate flowering bushes or floating floral sprays beneath an arched colonnade that encompasses the bottle. Flowering vine scrolls and borders of interlocking triangular motifs adorn the vessels’ shoulders. Upright laplets encircle the neck.
The distinctive square bottles are traditionally believed to have been inspired by similarly shaped Dutch gin or perfume bottles imported into India. Matching cups were also produced.
- Selected Bibliography
- Desjardins, Tara. Mughal Glass: a History of Glassmaking in India. New Delhi: Roli Books, 2024.
